Swipe. Another old photograph is tucked into the back of the pile.

Swipe. Another memory long since forgotten, or so it seems.

Swipe. Another cherished moment, captured eternally in a single frame of time.

Swipe. Another reminder of how hard it was to say goodbye to the life he once knew.

Swipe.

No matter how often he skims over the images taken on his wedding day to Valerie, it still stings exactly the same as the first time. Even after all she put him and Casey through, Michael still holds a hopeless love he knows can never come to fruition again. He isn't a naïve person, nor is he overly cynical, but his outlook on life and its hardships is painfully realistic to a fault. Although his split from Valerie is not what he wanted, he also acknowledges that it was the only viable solution to the issues with their marriage. Reminiscing on such a beautiful day is, to put it simply, bittersweet.

"Where did it all go wrong, huh?" Michael asks himself. He doesn't fear Casey eavesdropping on his melancholy questioning, as he has already gone to bed for the night. "Why did it all go so horribly wrong, hey, Val?"

The pictures no longer serve their purpose in bringing him ethereal nostalgia, because the reality hits him once again, that she was far from an angel. His logic dictates that a down-to-earth, angelic being would never treat him or their son in the way she did. With this in mind, he slips the pile of photographs back into his suitcase.

Swipe.

The action is completed just in the nick of time, too; for the door to Michael's bedroom opens slowly, allowing the light from the hallway to spill in. Michael glances over, observing the progressively-increasing gap in the door to discover that the tiny silhouette of his son is the culprit.

"I thought you were asleep, Case. What are you doin' awake so late?" Michael rises from his knelt down position on the carpet, approaching the little boy. "Are you alright?"

"I had a bad dream," Casey answers, rubbing one eye in a bid to adjust to the lighting of the room. "I got scared, Daddy."

"Oh." Michael bends down to Casey's height, bringing him in for a gentle hug. "That's okay. Do you want to talk about it?"

Casey withdraws from his father and shakes his head, furrowing his brows to emphasise his fear. "Can I stay in here with you, please, Daddy?"

Michael heaves a softened sigh through his nostrils, using his large hand to tuck some of Casey's hair behind his ears. "Alright. I know it's a big change for you, right now. I just want you to be comfortable, because that's what's most important to me."

"Thank you, Daddy." Casey briefly disappears from sight to grab something from his room, returning moments later holding his teddy bear and his comfort blanket. "Are you tired yet?"

"Not really," Michael responds, mustering a small smile for the sake of his son. "I've just been unpackin' and stuff. There's a lot to get through, isn't there?"

"Where are all my story books? Maybe they're in this bag." Casey kneels down on the floor, before crawling over to one of the suitcases. "I really want to look at all my story books again."

"They're not in that one." Michael abruptly zips the zipper back up on the case, to prevent the boy from looking inside. "But don't worry, because we'll find them. But it's already very late at night. We'll have to look for them tomorrow."

"But Daddy, I want—"

"Please don't argue with me, buddy. I've said we will look for them tomorrow. Alright?" Michael's tone is stern, but not intimidating. "And when we find them, we'll look through all of them together."

Casey's voice is quiet. "Okay."

"How 'bout we get settled into my bed for now, huh?" Michael suggests, standing upright and pointing to the mattress. "Because Daddy needs to sleep soon, too. He has a big day tomorrow."

"What's gonna happen tomorrow?" Casey asks.

"Tomorrow, I'm gonna start looking for a job, ready for when you start school in September." Michael gently ushers Casey over to the bed as he explains. "If I manage to get a job, then that means we'll be able to find a really cool place to live in — just the two of us. How's that sound?"

"Will I get my own room?" Casey questions.

"Of course you will," Michael answers. "And you know what's even better? You can decorate it however you want to."

"Really?" The boy's mouth is agape, with a huge smile full of gaps from lost teeth. "Can I have a nightlight? And blue walls? And a blanket with dinosaurs on?"

"You can have everything you ever dreamed of, once things start to get better. I promise." Michael pulls back the covers to allow them both to get into bed, but then wraps Casey up in the sheets without warning, as a means of being playful.

"Daddy!" Casey yells, unable to control his giggles as he tries to fight his way out of his father's grasp. "Let me go!"

Michael caves, setting his son free. The boy pants softly to catch his breath, while being laughed at by his beloved dad.

"Anyway, enough antics for tonight. We need to get you settled and back to sleep."

"But what if I have another bad dream?" Casey asks. "I don't want to have another bad dream."

"As long as you're with me, you won't have any bad dreams," Michael assures him, pulling his child in to his side protectively. "You'll always be safe with me. I promise. Now get some sleep. I love you."

"Love you, Daddy." Casey stretches his fatigued little muscles and yawns lightly, a not-so-subtle indicator of his impending slumber.

Michael keeps an eye on Casey as he slowly eases back to sleep in his arms, and after a few minutes, he deems it safe to move the boy from off his shoulder. With five years' experience in repositioning a sleeping child, Michael makes light work of laying Casey down onto the mattress, giving him back his freedom of mobility. He decides that remaining in the room could bring the risk of Casey waking up; one wrong move could cause an unwanted commotion. With this in mind, Michael makes the decision to go downstairs, where Sean is going about his evening routine.

"Hey," Michael greets him, peeking his head around the doorway to the kitchen. "You good?"

"Hey, Mike," Sean answers, momentarily coming to a halt with his food prep. "I'm just making myself a snack. Did you want any?"

"Oh, no thank you," Michael rejects kindly. "I just came down here because Casey finally got to sleep, and I didn't wanna wake him."

"I thought I heard movement upstairs a little while ago," Sean comments. "Is he alright? It's a pretty big change for a little kid."

"He had a nightmare. He's sleeping on my mattress at the moment," Michael explains. "I think he's okay. I told him that once I get a good job and earn enough money for our own little place, he can decorate his bedroom however he wants to. The idea seemed to excite him."

"Bless his heart," Sean says. "You're doin' a great job with 'em, you know."

"I'm trying my best. Being a single father certainly has its difficulties." Michael leans his back against the wall, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black slacks. "But it's worth it, for him. Everything I've been through, I'd go through it again for him."

"Maybe one day, I'll understand a father's love. Right now, I don't even have someone to mother my future kids," Sean jokes, finishing up his snack preparation. "Speaking of which, though, I've got a friend coming over soon. I hope that's cool with you."

"It's your house, man," Michael answers. "You can do whatever you wanna do. Don't be askin' me permission. I don't want me being here to be a burden, or to stop you from doin' what you normally do."

"I know, but I'm a courteous man." Sean winks, as a grin spreads across his face. "And you're not a burden at all. But you don't have to worry anyway; she's super nice. I met her in college. Before you say anything, college in England is for ages sixteen to eighteen. Different names for different stuff, here."

"I guess the different names are certainly something I have to learn," Michael responds. "Like how British people call cookies, "biscuits" here. But biscuits in America are entirely different."

"You'll get the hang of it," Sean laughs. "I've had a good while to come to grips with not using American language."

"I suppose that's true." Michael's voice trails off towards the end of his sentence, as he realises he cannot contribute much more to the conversation. "Uh, so, what time is your friend coming over?"

"About a half hour," Sean answers. "Or as she'd say, "In about half an hour"."

"So many little differences," Michael comments. "But uh, will she be cool with you having me as company? Or would she rather you guys be alone?"

"That ship has well and truly sailed, my man," Sean explains. "We tried a relationship, but it lasted all of two days, before we realised we were way better off as friends. So, to be honest, I think she'd welcome a third person. Gives her somebody new to get to know."

"As long as you're sure. I wouldn't wanna intrude." Michael follows behind as Sean leaves the kitchen, to go to the living room.

They both take a seat on the sofa, continuing their conversation as Sean eats his food.

• • •

A knock on the front door interrupts Michael and Sean's humour-filled chit-chat. In reaction, Sean rises from his seat and heads towards the hallway.

"It'll be her," he announces, disappearing out of sight for a moment or two.

Michael sits waiting on the sofa, mentally preparing himself to meet the stranger. He can't deny the fact he is a little nervous, just because he is unfamiliar with any English people at this point. He hears Sean greet the woman on the other side of the wall, so he sits upright in his chair to appear a touch more presentable. As the living room door opens, Sean turns to face his lady friend, ready to introduce her to Michael.

"Okay, Laurie, this is Michael. Michael, this is Laurie."

When Laurie enters Michael's vision, he is stunned at what he sees before him. This woman isn't conventionally attractive, but he quickly observes that there is an elegance about her, in her demeanour and in her body language; and the down-to-earth smile she gives him radiates kindness effortlessly. The subtle quirks in her appearance, such as the sharpened canines in the top set of her teeth resembling fangs; and the freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks, set her apart from any woman he has ever seen before, and that in itself makes her beautiful in an entirely unique way. He tries to ignore these sudden thoughts, however, as he stands up to shake her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Michael says.

"The pleasure's all mine." Laurie's Midland English accent drastically contradicts his soft American one. "Sean told me you were staying here for a while. Nasty breakup, or something."

"Uh, yeah." Michael forces an awkward chuckle. He is taken aback by the straightforwardness of this new individual, but in a strange way, it is endearing to him. "Somethin' like that."

"I'm sorry to hear it," Laurie apologises. "I hope you don't mind me intruding on your evening."

"Not at all," Michael assures her. "I actually asked Sean whether I should make myself scarce before you showed up."

"Ah, don't bother with that," Laurie answers. "I love meeting new people. Especially if they're good-looking."

Michael is surprised by this response. "Oh. W-Well, I—"

"Relax, mate. Saying that you're attractive doesn't automatically mean I fancy you." Laurie stifles laughter, noticing Michael's sudden restlessness. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

"Uh, yeah, me too." Michael smiles at her, attempting to shake off the bashfulness he naturally possesses.

Laurie takes a seat on the sofa, encouraging Michael and Sean to join her. Michael can easily pick up on her indisputable confidence, and it makes him feel just a little more relaxed — the last thing he would want is the interactions between them to run dry due to apprehensiveness on both sides.

With the fluttering in his stomach and chest a little more settled by now, Michael leans back against the cushions of the sofa, determined to make a good impression of himself to Laurie.

• • •

Chapter two! Hope you're enjoying. xx